Four Brilliant Benefits of Your Breast Milk.

Would you just look at them?! Ugh.

I know I'm a little partial but I think I have the cutest baby in the whole entire world. It hasn't been quite as cold lately so we've been able to have a little more outside time which is magic for picture quality right now with the overcast days! I am loving my new iPhone 8 plus and PORTRAIT MODE!!!

Yep this was taken on my phone.

I may be a little obsessed as of late, but hey no judgement right?? I always told myself I would't be one of those moms that just took pictures of her kid all day and never had a picture of much else on social media...yeah I totally ate my words on that one. Oops.

That is the one downside of having a cute kid...OBSESSION WITH THE CUTENESS!!!

Today I want to tackle a subject that may be somewhat touchy in some circles but I promise I mean everything I say with pure intentions. Today is Aria's 8 month birthday (Woo!!) and I have fed her real food maybe 6-7 times total. She has never had formula, I tried to pump a bottle to give to her like one time and it was utterly scorned so that is not a thing in our house, she has never had a pacifier, and like I said, I have made a few purees of avocado or banana here and there but we by no means feed her baby food every day...more like once or twice a week...maybe.

It's pretty common advice to start giving babies "solid" food at about 4 months old once or twice a day and to up that number every month or so. Based on a food chart I have from the Baby Bullet I use to make her baby food, Aria "should" be eating anywhere from 5-9 servings of baby food per day...HA. That is definitely not what's going on.

But you know what? Aria is literally the healthiest baby. We have never had to go to the doctor for anything but well checks. No ear infections, no ER trips. The only stuffy nose was right before she cut her first tooth--which is a common symptom of teething, not a cold!

I 100% believe that exclusive breastfeeding is one, if not THE main reason for her great health so far AND it's only one of the many reasons that make it SO great!!!

Why Exclusive Breastfeeding is the Healthiest Thing For Babies...AND YOU!!

Disclaimer: If you are a mom of a little one and have already let your milk dry up, or have chosen differently I DO NOT THINK YOU ARE A BAD MOM! I just want to present why I make the choices I do.

1. Your Baby's Immune System

Okay breastfeeding is the coolest thing. Did you know that breast milk is a LIVING substance??? It contains valuable antibodies that fight off sickness and infections in your little one.

What is an antibody? Study.com gives this simple definition:

"Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins, are Y-shaped proteins that are produced by the immune system to help stop intruders from harming the body. When an intruder enters the body, the immune system springs into action. These invaders, which are called antigens, can be viruses, bacteria, or other chemicals."

Basically, any bad germ that Mom comes in contact with is recognized by the body and the breast milk creates antibodies to give to the baby so they don't get sick!! It gives baby immunity to whatever mom is exposed to. The best thing for a sick mama to do is keep breastfeeding her baby!

It even goes a step further! If a baby is exposed to something harmful that the mom isn't (for example: when I looked down at Walmart and Aria was chewing on the STRAP of the baby seat on the shopping cart! GROSS) the mother's body can recognize it and make antibodies for THAT too!! Mom doesn't even have to be exposed to the germ for the breast milk to make the antibodies. Is that not the coolest??

The full list of illnesses that it can protect against are found on the Le Leche League's website:

"ear infections, upper and lower respiratory ailments, allergies, intestinal disorders, colds, viruses, staph, strep and e coli infections, diabetes, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, many adulthood cancers, meningitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, salmonella, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), as well as lifetime protection from Chron's Disease, ulcerative colitis some lymphomas, insulin dependent diabetes, and for girls, breast and ovarian cancer.

Does this mean breastfed babies never get sick? No, they can and do. However, the illness is generally less severe and lengthy than if the baby were not receiving his mother's milk."

There is also research saying that breast milk helps protect against the flu. That's helpful in the worst flu season I can remember!

Your baby will also be significantly less gassy and spit up less!

2. Breastfeeding lowers Mom's chance of Breast and Ovarian cancer.

This is a BIG one. Right now 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, and ovarian cancer is one of the most dangerous types due to the lack of symptoms until the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. This excerpt from mdanderson.org goes into further explaination:

"To reap the health perks of breastfeeding, you should do it exclusively for at least six months, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research and World Health Organization. This means your baby receives only breast milk – no water, other liquids or solids. Evidence shows that the health benefits and your cancer risk reduction become significant at six months and beyond. And, breast milk provides all the energy and nutrients your baby needs during this time to develop and stay healthy.

After six months, breast milk provides at least half of your child’s nutritional needs. So, you can gradually introduce foods, such as baby cereal, fruits and vegetables, but you should continue to breastfeed. “Breastfeeding past six months is not only beneficial for your child’s health, but the longer you do it, the more protection you receive against breast and ovarian cancers,” says Sally Scroggs, dietitian and health education manager in MD Anderson’s Lyda Hill Cancer Prevention Center.

In a study by the Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer, researchers found that for every 12 months a woman breastfed, her risk of breast cancer decreased by 4.3%. The study compared mothers who breastfed to those who didn’t. It also found the 12-month time period could be with either one child or as the total for several children.

Furthermore, Australian researchers found that women who breastfed for more than 13 months were 63% less likely to develop ovarian cancer than women who breastfed for less than seven months. And, women who breastfed multiple children for over 31 months could reduce their ovarian cancer risk by up to 91% compared to women who breastfed for under 10 months."

91%

Did you know that both UNICEF and the World Health Organization advise breastfeeding for "two years and beyond"? I know that is not the cultural norm, but there are CLEARLY benefits for both you and your baby. Not only does it continue to strengthen your child's immune system when you choose to extend breastfeeding, but it continues to give YOU more protection from future cancers.

3. Natural Birth Control

When I was 85 weeks pregnant my Mother-in-Law gave me a book that changed my life, Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing by Sheila Kippley.

I'll be honest, before I educated myself on this topic I had never even thought of breastfeeding longer than one year. It's just not what most of the people I know have done. I didn't even know that when you breastfeed you don't usually get your period back until you stop. (uhh...WIN)

I know what some may be thinking.."I know someone that got pregnant when they were breastfeeding, it's not real."

The key for making this work for you is ECOLOGICAL breastfeeding. Just because you are breastfeeding a little doesn't mean it's necessarily enough to keep you from getting pregnant again.

To be considered ecologically breastfed the baby should not be given a pacifier or any supplemental bottles of formula. You should be nursing at least every 4-6 hours. More often between that for "snacks" since you aren't using a paci. And you should hold off giving baby anything else to eat other than breast milk for at least 6 months. It also helps to co-sleep so they can feed multiple times at night for as long as they need to without Mommy getting too exhausted to function.

When these things are followed, there is only a 2% rate of pregnancy the first 6 months. It gradually goes up over time after 6 months, but your chances are still very slim. When you do start your period back, there is usually a "warning period" before you actually ovulate again so you can know to start being careful.

I have people ask me a lot "What do you do when she cries if she doesn't take a paci?" It's pretty easy..I usually just nurse her for like 2 minutes to calm her down and then she's good. It gives us bonding time too. When she's upset she knows that she comes to Mommy. And one less thing to take away from her down the road.

If you are the slightest bit interested in this I URGE you to read this book as there is no way I can cover everything you need to know on here. You can buy it on Amazon here. (UPDATE: the most updated version “The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding” can be found here.)

There is also research proving that even pumping is not the same as actually breastfeeding when it comes to using it as birth control and keeping your period away. Baby is for sure getting good nutrition when you pump, but it’s not going to keep your period away as long.

Why not just get on the pill?

There is a shocking lack of research on the study of effects on hormones from birth control coming through the breast milk and what it may do to the baby. I have searched searched and literally found nothing. If you know of a study working with this PLEASE let me know.

I did find a very interesting article suggesting that the stress hormone, cortisol, can be passed from mother to baby. Basically, if Mom is stressed, that stress hormone makes it's way into the milk and can cause baby to become more stressed. The article states that this is probably a way of conditioning the baby for the environment they will be growing up in. The article is attached here.

If the stress hormone can come through the milk, I don't know why the hormones in birth control wouldn't.

Also, If there is so much caution in drinking alcohol while breastfeeding because of its affect on baby then it only makes since to me that any medication a mother is on should be monitored to see potential adverse effects on the baby. Birth control is SERIOUS medicine. If you are currently taking it or thinking about it, please familiarize yourself with the risks.

This alone is enough for me to have caution.

If nothing else, certain types of birth control are proven to lower your milk supply, which can be detrimental if you have struggled with your milk supply from the beginning.

Instead of birth control, I have always used an app on my phone to track my cycles. You have to keep up with it, but it will send you a notification when you are ovulating! Period Tracker is an app I’ve used in the past. As long as you have fairly regular cycles, this method will work. I was married over two years doing just this and never got pregnant until we wanted to. Since it had my information from previous cycles, I knew exactly when I was ovulating so we were able to get pregnant with one try.

(For more information check out nfpandmore.org)

4. IT'S FREE

I don't think I need to elaborate on this point. WOOOO!!

Formula ain't cheap.

I know this may not be received well by some, but I hope it has given you at least some kind of curiosity into the pure wonder that is breastfeeding. Nursing Aria has been challenging at times for sure, but it has been the most wonderful experience of my life.

I know that there are some of you that may have dealt with low supply or allergies or cracked, bleeding nipples (ME!) but I believe in the natural power of the bodies God created us to have. I don't know anyone that didn't have a tough go at it in the beginning, but I am convinced that if you power through, you can be successful. If not the first time, maybe next time if you have another child!

Again, if you chose to use formula from the beginning for work or convenience or whatever reason, I know you are a good mom! This is not meant to shame anyone who uses/used formula or make you feel like I am judging you, I'm not!! We are all doing this thing together! I simply wanted to let the wonder of nursing be known to some who may have no idea of the awesome benefits!

I hope you all have are having a wonderful week and THANK YOU for reading Diary of a Scrunchy Mom!

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Eat the kale, eat the cookie, have a Scrunchy day!!

Lauren